The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $350,000 CAREER (Faculty Early Career Development) grant to Professor Aditi Bhattacherjee at the University of Iowa under the Integrative Activities (IA) program (CFDA 47.083). The project aims to investigate the early steps in the activation of single-site transition-metal catalysts when irradiated with visible light, using femtosecond X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy. The primary objectives are to identify the intersystem crossing rates and photochemical branching ratios in functionalized metallocene catalysts, as well as resolve the charge transfer steps and spin-orbit coupling mechanisms in the photoactivation of these molecular catalysts. The project will contribute to the advancement of tabletop ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy and provide a mechanistic understanding of photocatalysis with earth-abundant metals, which is of interest in fields such as non-adiabatic chemical dynamics, excited-state charge transfer, and photoredox chemistry. The award period is from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2029.
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